cereus

ce·re·us

 (sîr′ē-əs)

n.

Any of various cacti that belong to or formerly belonged to the genus Cereus, such as a night-blooming cereus.

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[New Latin Cēreus, genus name, from Latin cēreus, candle (from its shape), from cēra, wax; see cerate.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

cereus

(ˈsɪərɪəs)

n

1. (Plants) any tropical American cactus of the genus Cereus, esp C. jamacaru of N Brazil, which grows to a height of 13 metres (40 feet)

2. (Plants) any of several similar and related cacti, such as the night-blooming cereus

[C18: from New Latin, from Latin cēreus a wax taper, from cēra wax]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ce•re•us

(ˈsɪər i əs)

n., pl. -us•es.

any of various plants of the genus Cereus, of the cactus family, having large, usu. white, funnel-shaped flowers.

[1720–30; < New Latin, Latin cēreus wax candle cēra wax]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

Cereus - genus of much-branched treelike or shrubby cacti with pronounced ribs and rounded needlelike spines and nocturnal flowers usually white genus Cereus caryophylloid dicot genus - genus of relatively early dicotyledonous plants including mostly flowers Cactaceae, cactus family, family Cactaceae - constituting the order Opuntiales night-blooming cereus - any of several cacti of the genus Cereus

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